“I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscar’s,” Hart, 39, tweeted. “This is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.”

Hart opting out of the coveted gig came just over an hour after he vowed to not to apologize to the Academy.

“So, I just got a call from the Academy and that call basically said, ‘Kevin apologize for your tweets… or we’re going to have to move on and find another host,’” Hart said in a video shared on Instagram that he captioned “I know who I am and so do the people closest to me.”